The Association of Democratic Reforms, voluntary organisation whose efforts made Central Information Commission bring six national parties under the umbrella of the RTI Act, had shot RTI applications to 45 recognised political parties of which only four have responded so far, a statement from ADR said.
A Special Court in Bengaluru on Wednesday ordered a Lokayukta police probe against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment case.
The Madhya Pradesh Special Police Establishment (also known as Lokayukta) is exempted under Section 24 of the RTI Act as per directions of the state government, it said in a reply to an RTI query.
The unexplained deaths of RTI activists and whistleblowers prove that the RTI Act has threatened many powerful, unscrupulous powers that be.
Announced in January 2024, the BPGPA MBA is a blended (hybrid) programme that combines on-campus, in-person sessions and live interactive online sessions.
While sitting MPs are entitled to use the railways' first class air-conditioned or executive class for free, their spouses too can avail free travel under certain conditions.
Chief Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi has written to Chief Justice of India S H Kapadia about his recent remarks that irrelevant RTI queries hampered the work of judiciary, saying this may "dampen the RTI journey" of the country.
The proposed rules, aimed at replacing RTI rules of 2012, have been placed by the department of personnel and training on its website for comments from public.
Shiv Sena workers on Friday assaulted and blackened the face of an RTI activist at Latur in Marathwada region, after he "exposed" an illegal construction case.
The RTI reply also stated that the interception of communication was being carried out in accordance with the Telegraph Act of 1885 and Telegraph (Amendment) Rule of 2007, a clause that finds a mention in the clarification issued by the government over the December 20 order.
'We accept EVMs cannot be hacked because it is not connected, but can they be manipulated?' 'Are you allowing us to check if EVMs can be manipulated?'
Observing that the RTI Act is an effective device for making governance transparent, Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Saturday criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement favouring a "critical look" at the law and said his party was opposed to any such move. Advani said that only some time back, the government had showered praise on the RTI Act, saying it had brought transparency.
The commission also suggested that the government publish the cabinet decisions on its official website.
Setting a new bench mark in transparency in politics, the Central Information Commission has held that political parties are answerable under the Right to Information Act.
RTI crusader Arvind Kejriwal, a key figure in Anna Hazare's campaign against corruption, on Tuesday accused the government of keeping the Central Bureau of Investigation out of the Right to Information Act's ambit so that it can arm-twist its political opponents. "The RTI Act clearly says that only security and intelligence related agencies can be taken out of RTI Act. CBI is neither a security agency nor an intelligence agency," he said.
To govern effectively, to legislate successfully, Modi must reach out to the Opposition. As long as he does not and he is showing no signs that he accepts the reality, the drift his fans are anguishing over will remain, cautions Aakar Patel.
Commission says that though Reliance Infra is a private company, it provides 'essential service' and hence comes within the ambit of the RTI Act.
Congress president M Mallikarjun Kharge, meanwhile, came to Siddaramaiah's defence, stating that the party is standing with him and will support him.
Stay orders keep law out of citizen access even years after CIC rulings on opening market institutions to scrutiny
The bench was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the State Government's decision to retrospectively reduce the rate of police protection provided during the IPL matches. The PIL was filed by RTI Activist Anil Galgali.
The government has ruled out amending the RTI Act to give immunity to political parties from providing information after the recent CIC's landmark order brought them under the ambit of the transparency law.
The Supreme Court had observed that issues of national economic interest; disclosure of information regarding currency or exchange rates/interest rates/ taxes; regulation or supervision of banking, insurance and other financial institutions; proposals for expenditure or borrowing, and foreign investments, could all, in some cases, harm the national economy, especially if released prematurely.
The Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government, like its United Progressive Alliance predecessor, seems to be failing on suo motu disclosures under the Right to Information Act.
At a time when Sushma Swaraj is under fierce opposition attack for "helping" Lalit Modi obtain United Kingdom travel documents, her external affairs ministry has refused to provide any information about the passport issue involving the scandal-tainted former Indian Premier League boss.
A senior police official, however, said Monday the charges against the 85-year-old in the Koregaon-Bhima violence case have not been dropped.
Due to the differences in circadian rhythms between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, some cheetahs developed thick winter coats during the Indian summer and monsoon last year, anticipating the African winter (June to September).
'The prime minister has taken pre-emptive action by not appointing a Chief Information Commissioner at all to render it dysfunctional.'
'The bureaucracy is also hardening its stand and in most cases has realised that the commissioners are not really committed to transparency,' says former Central Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi.
"Every Indian deserves to know the truth and the BJP wants to hide the truth. The BJP believes the truth must be hidden from the people and they must not question people in power. The changes proposed to the RTI will make it a useless Act," the Congress president said on Twitter.
Air India had stopped the practice of issuing tickets on credit to government agencies for the travel of their officials in December last year because of accruing pending bills.
'In this assembly election, Muslims here will vote for one who works, but also one who safeguards their identity.' 'Their existence is more important they feel, than a faulty light meter. So yes, a Muslim representative will make a difference.'
Taking a cue from the prevailing public mood against the political class, the Congress leadership -- Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi -- are said to have clinched the argument in favour of deferring the amendment to the Right to Information Act which seeks to keep political parties out of the ambit of the transparency law.
The National Election Watch has appealed to all the Members of Parliament from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha not to support a proposed amendment to the Right To Information Act.
The report said Sasikala was allowed to wear her personal clothes and cook. A pressure cooker and spices were found in her prison cell.
On a day a sexual abuse case was registered against actor Siddique based on a complaint by a woman actor, the Left government appears to have adopted a cautious approach in the case of MLA Mukesh, with two ministers indicating that further action hinges on the findings of the probe by the special police team.
Political parties should not be brought under the ambit of the Right to Information Act by terming them 'public authorities', as this would not only hamper their smooth working but help political rivals to file pleas with malicious intention to seek information, the government told the Supreme Court on Monday.
The much-awaited report of the Justice Hema Committee, the government-appointed panel in 2019 that studied issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry, comprises explosive accounts of harassment, exploitation, and ill-treatment being faced by women.
No decision has been taken yet by the government on giving immunity to political parties from providing information under the Right to Information Act as the six-week deadline by the Central Information Commission ends on Monday.
An FIR has been registered against three persons including a block development officer after Amarnath Pandey, 55, an RTI activist and homoeopathy doctor, was fired at yesterday with a country made pistol, they said, adding he was admitted to a hospital.
The data, which was shared by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in response to an RTI query from PTI, also stated that 686 children living in child care institutions (CCIs) have been infected with COVID-19 so far this year.
Against the backdrop of allegations of spot-fixing during IPL matches, Union Minister Ajay Maken said the Board Of Control For Cricket In India - the national governing body for cricket in India - should come under the ambit of the RTI Act.
